Bladed drum for rotary separator system and method

ABSTRACT

A separator method and apparatus that includes a rotatable drum defining an annular passageway therein, a plurality of blades coupled to the rotatable drum and located in the annular passageway, each of the plurality of blades including a leading section, a trailing section, a concave surface, and a convex surface, the concave and convex surfaces extending from the leading section to the trailing section, each of the plurality of blades disposed circumferentially adjacent to at least another one of the plurality of blades so as to define blade flowpaths therebetween, and a housing at least partially surrounding the rotatable drum and defining a fluid collection chamber fluidly communicating with the annular passageway.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Applicationhaving Ser. No. 61/312,067, which was filed Mar. 9, 2010. The priorityapplication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into thepresent application.

BACKGROUND

In many industrial processes where it is desired to compress a processfluid, the process fluid includes both lower-density and higher-densitycomponents, for example, gases and liquids, respectively. Liquids,however, can potentially damage, corrode, reduce the efficiency of,and/or wear on the compression equipment; therefore, it is generallydesirable to remove as much of the liquid from the process fluid aspossible, prior to compression. This is balanced against avoidingsignificant increases in materials and operating expenses, along withretaining a sufficient throughput rate. One way to remove such liquid isto channel the process fluid through a density-based separator, such asa rotary separator, thereby separating and expelling the higher-densitycomponents from the lower-density components of the process fluid. Toachieve a desired separation efficiency, the axial length of rotaryseparators is typically dictated by the axial velocity of the processfluid, the radial velocity of the liquid that is induced by therotational motion of the rotary separator, and the radial distance theliquid must travel before reaching the drain. These factors limit theability to reduce the axial length of these rotary separators andequipment in which the separators may be included. What is needed,therefore, is a rotary separator that can efficiently separate theprocess fluid at a high axial velocity over a shorter axial distance.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure may provide an exemplary separatorapparatus. The separator apparatus may include a rotatable drum definingan annular passageway extending axially therethrough, with the rotatabledrum being configured to separate a higher-density component of a fluidfrom a lower-density component of the fluid. The separator apparatus mayalso include a plurality of blades coupled to the rotatable drum,located in the annular passageway, and being configured to rotate withthe rotatable drum, each of the plurality of blades including a leadingsection, a trailing section, a concave surface, and a convex surface,the concave and convex surfaces extending from the leading section tothe trailing section, each of the plurality of blades being disposedcircumferentially adjacent to at least another one of the plurality ofblades so as to define blade flowpaths therebetween. The separatorapparatus may further include a housing at least partially surroundingthe rotatable drum and defining a fluid collection chamber fluidlycommunicating with the annular passageway.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also provide an exemplary method forseparating a mixed process fluid. The method may include introducing themixed process fluid to a rotary separator drum, the mixed process fluidincluding a higher-density component and a lower-density component. Themethod may further include centrifugally separating of at least aportion of the higher-density component from the lower-densitycomponent. Centrifugally separating the portion of the higher-densitycomponent from the lower density component may include rotating therotary separator drum with the mixed process fluid introduced therein,and directing the mixed process fluid between curved blades disposedcircumferentially adjacent one another in the rotary separator drum. Themethod may also include directing the separated higher-density componentto an outer wall of the rotary separator drum.

Embodiments of the disclosure may further provide an exemplary apparatusfor separating a higher-density component from a lower-density componentof a process fluid. The apparatus may include a housing defining a fluidcollection chamber, a housing inlet, and a housing outlet. The apparatusmay further include a drum rotatably positioned between the housinginlet and the housing outlet and including an inner wall and an outerwall that is disposed around the inner wall and radially offsettherefrom to define a passageway therebetween, the passageway includingan entrance located proximal the housing inlet and an exit locatedproximal the housing outlet, the passageway extending an axial lengthbetween the entrance and exit and communicating with the fluidcollection chamber. The apparatus may also include a plurality of bladesextending at least partially between the inner and outer walls of thedrum and disposed around the drum and at least partially along the axiallength of the passageway, each of the plurality of blades having aleading section, a trailing section, a convex surface, and a concavesurface, the convex and concave surfaces extending from the leadingsection to the trailing section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read with the accompanying Figures. It is emphasizedthat, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, variousfeatures are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the variousfeatures may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of an exemplary rotary separatordrum, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away, side perspective view of the rotaryseparator drum, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the rotary separatordrum, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rotary separator drumcoupled to a housing, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates side view of two exemplary blades of the rotaryseparator with a process fluid being directed therebetween, inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the rotaryseparator drum, showing a process fluid shown moving therein, inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cut-away, side perspective view of anotherexemplary rotary separator drum, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a plurality of exemplary blades of theembodiment of the rotary separator drum shown in FIG. 7, showing aprocess fluid moving between the blades, in accordance with thedisclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method forseparating a process fluid, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a graph illustrating the efficiency of anexperimental embodiment of the rotary separator system in comparison toconventional separators, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a graph illustrating the separation performance ofan experimental embodiment of the rotary separator system compared toconventional separators, in accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the following disclosure describes severalexemplary embodiments for implementing different features, structures,or functions of the invention. Exemplary embodiments of components,arrangements, and configurations are described below to simplify thepresent disclosure; however, these exemplary embodiments are providedmerely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. Additionally, the present disclosure may repeat referencenumerals and/or letters in the various exemplary embodiments and acrossthe Figures provided herein. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various exemplary embodiments and/or configurationsdiscussed in the various Figures. Moreover, the formation of a firstfeature over or on a second feature in the description that follows mayinclude embodiments in which the first and second features are formed indirect contact, and may also include embodiments in which additionalfeatures may be formed interposing the first and second features, suchthat the first and second features may not be in direct contact.Finally, the exemplary embodiments presented below may be combined inany combination of ways, i.e., any element from one exemplary embodimentmay be used in any other exemplary embodiment, without departing fromthe scope of the disclosure.

Additionally, certain terms are used throughout the followingdescription and claims to refer to particular components. As one skilledin the art will appreciate, various entities may refer to the samecomponent by different names, and as such, the naming convention for theelements described herein is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention, unless otherwise specifically defined herein. Further, thenaming convention used herein is not intended to distinguish betweencomponents that differ in name but not function. Further, in thefollowing discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and“comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should beinterpreted to mean “including, but not limited to.” All numericalvalues in this disclosure may be exact or approximate values unlessotherwise specifically stated. Accordingly, various embodiments of thedisclosure may deviate from the numbers, values, and ranges disclosedherein without departing from the intended scope. Furthermore, as it isused in the claims, the term “or” is intended to encompass bothexclusive and inclusive cases, i.e., “A or B” is intended to besynonymous with “at least one of A and B,” unless otherwise expresslyspecified herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rotary separator 100, according to an exemplaryembodiment. The rotary separator 100 includes a rotatable drum 102having a front surface 104, a rear surface 106 located axially oppositethe front surface 104, and an outer surface 107 that extends between thefront surface 104 and the rear surface 106. In an exemplary embodiment,the drum 102 may increase in diameter proceeding from the front surface104 to the rear surface 106, such that the drum 102 is substantiallyfrustoconical. In another exemplary embodiment, a center region betweenthe front and rear surfaces 104, 106 may be enlarged in diameter (notshown) relative to both the front and rear surfaces 104, 106. In yetanother exemplary embodiment, the drum 102 may maintain a substantiallyconstant diameter such that the drum 102 is cylindrical. In variousother exemplary embodiments, the drum 102 may include one or more of avariety of different shapes. Furthermore, it will be appreciated thatthe front and rear surfaces 104, 106 may be reversed, without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure.

The drum 102 may define a central bore 109 extending axiallytherethrough, for example, from the front surface 104 to the rearsurface 106. The central bore 109 may receive a shaft (not shown), suchthat the drum 102 may be rotated by an external source of rotationalenergy, such as a turbine, motor, or the like, or may instead providerotational energy to an external device (not shown), such as a generatoror a compressor. The drum 102 may also have an outer wall 110 and aninner wall 112, with the outer and inner walls 110, 112 being generallyconcentric with respect to each other. The outer and inner walls 110,112 may be radially offset from each other, defining passageway 114therebetween, with the passageway 114 having an entrance 115 proximalthe front surface 104, as shown. In an exemplary embodiment, thegeometry of the passageway 114 may generally conform to the geometry ofthe drum 102, such that, in an exemplary embodiment in which the drum102 is frustoconical, the passageway 114 is also frustoconical. Invarious exemplary embodiments, however, the passageway 114 can becylindrical or any other suitable shape.

The rotary separator 100 also includes a plurality of blades 116, whichmay extend radially through at least a part of the passageway 114. Forexample, the plurality of blades 116 may be coupled to and extendbetween the outer and inner walls 110, 112. Any number of blades 116 maybe employed, and each may be spaced circumferentially apart from theothers around the drum 102. Furthermore, the blades 116 may be coupledto the outer and inner walls 110, 112 using fasteners, welding, brazing,dovetail fitting, or the like, may be cast, cut, or otherwise formedintegrally with the drum 102, and/or may be coupled to the outer and/orinner walls 110, 112, by any other suitable process. Additionally, theblades 116 may have a lean angle α with respect to a radial line 111.The blades 116 may lean clockwise or counterclockwise depending on thedirection the drum 102 is configured to rotate. In various exemplaryembodiments, the lean angle α may range from about 8 degrees, about 11degrees, or about 14 degrees to about 17 degrees, about 20 degrees, orabout 22 degrees. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the lean angle αmay be about 15 degrees.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side perspective view of the rotary separator 100,according to an exemplary embodiment, showing the drum 102 with theouter surface 107 partially broken away to reveal the passageway 114extending between the front and rear surfaces 104, 106. An axis 118 maybe defined through the middle of the drum 102, about which the drum 102rotates. Further, each of the plurality of blades 116 includes a leadingsection 120, which may be tapered to a thin edge, as shown, and atrailing section 122. The leading and trailing sections 120, 122 areconnected together by a curved portion, which may include concave andconvex surfaces 126, 128. Each blade 116 may be precision-cast, milledfrom a solid block, or otherwise integrally-formed, or made of multipleparts that are fixed together. Each blade 116 may be arranged so thatthe leading section 120 is generally positioned upstream (i.e., proximalthe front surface 104 and/or the entrance 115) in the passageway 114relative to the trailing section 122. In at least one exemplaryembodiment, the leading section 120 of each of the blades 116 ispositioned adjacent the front surface 104 of drum 102. Moreover, theconcave surface 126 may be also be referred to as the pressure surfaceof the blade 116 and convex surface 128 may also be referred to as thesuction surface of the blade 116.

Between adjacent blades 116 there is defined an inter-blade flowpath130. Each inter-blade flowpath 130 may be defined by the leading andtrailing sections 120, 122 and the convex surface 128 of one blade 116,and the leading and trailing sections 120, 122 and the concave surface126 of another blade 116. The inter-blade flow path 130 may extendaxially, at least partially from the entrance 115 to the exit 117 of thepassageway 114. Furthermore, the trailing section 122 may be angledrelative to the leading section 120 to define an angle β. The angle βmay range from about 90 degrees, about 100 degrees, or about 110 degreesto about 130 degrees, about 140 degrees, or about 150 degrees. In atleast one exemplary embodiment, the angle β may be about 120 degrees.

In an exemplary embodiment, each of the plurality of blades 116 may besubstantially identical; however, in various other exemplaryembodiments, the shape, structure, and/or material of the blades 116 mayvary. Furthermore, the trailing section 122 of the blades 116 may extenda length that is at least about twice as long as the length leadingsection 120. In various exemplary embodiments, each of the blades 116may extend along at least about 60%, at least about 70%, or at leastabout 80% of a length of the drum 102 from the front surface 104 to therear surface 106. In an exemplary embodiment, the length of the blades116 may be substantially the same; however, in various other exemplaryembodiments, the blades 116 may vary in length.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section of the rotary separator 100 of FIG.2, according to an exemplary embodiment. It will be appreciated that thecurved blades 116 each appear where they intersect the plane illustratedby the cross-section; therefore, several of the blades 116 of theillustrated embodiment are shown, with each appearing as one or tworectangles in FIG. 3. Moreover, FIG. 3 illustrates a frustoconicalembodiment of the drum 102, with accordingly frustoconical outer andinner walls 110, 112 and outer surface 107. As shown, the axis 118 maybe defined through the central bore 109, such that the drum 102 can berotated thereabout.

As also noted above with reference to FIG. 1, the outer and inner walls110, 112 may be radially offset from each other, defining the passageway114 therebetween, with the blades 116 extending at least partiallythrough the passageway 114. In various exemplary embodiments, the outerand inner walls 110, 112 may be substantially parallel, as shown, or maybe converging. Furthermore, the outer and inner walls 110, 112 mayincrease in diameter from the front surface 104 to the rear surface 106at an angle of from about 3 degrees to about 6 degrees proceeding fromthe front surface 104 to the rear surface 106.

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a rotary separatorsystem 150, according to an exemplary embodiment, which incorporates thedrum 102 of the rotary separator 100 (FIGS. 1-3). The rotary separatorsystem 150 may include a housing 200, which may be substantiallysymmetric about the axis 118, and which includes an inlet 204, an outlet205, and a collection chamber 206. The drum 102 is positioned in thehousing 200 such that the entrance 115 of passageway 114 is locatedproximal, for example, adjacent and aligned with, the inlet 204, whilethe exit 117 is located proximal, for example, adjacent and alignedwith, the outlet 205 of the housing 200. In an exemplary embodiment,fluid flowing along the outer wall 110 is directed into the collectionhousing 206, while liquid flowing proximal the inner wall 112 flows intothe outlet 205. In various exemplary embodiments, the outlet 205 can be,include, or be fluidly coupled to, an impeller of a centrifugalcompressor. In other exemplary embodiments, the outlet 205 can be,include, or be coupled to any other device.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, in exemplary operation, a mixedprocess fluid may be introduced to the rotary separator system 150 viathe inlet 204. In the inlet 204, the mixed process fluid may include ahigher-density component and a lower-density component. In an exemplaryembodiment, the lower-density component may be gas and thehigher-density component may be liquid; however, it will be appreciatedthat the higher-density component may be or include relatively denseliquids, gases, solids, or any combination thereof, while thelower-density component may be or include relatively less-dense liquids,gases, solids, or any combination thereof. For example, the rotaryseparator 150 may be operable to separate denser gases from less-densegases, solids from liquids, denser liquids from less-dense liquids, orany combination thereof.

The mixed process fluid may then proceed to the entrance 115 of thepassageway 114 of the drum 102. The drum 102 may be rotated about itsaxis 118 via a shaft (not shown) received into the central bore 109,with the shaft being powered by an external mechanism (not shown) suchas a turbine, motor, or the like. In other exemplary embodiments, thedrum 102 may be instead or additionally be rotated by the energy in themixed process fluid flow as it engages the blades 116. Subsequently, themixed process fluid may continue into the passageway 114 and flow towardthe exit 117. During flow through passageway 114, separation of thevarious components of the process fluid is enhanced utilizing the blades116, as will be described in further detail below.

FIG. 5 illustrates a pair of blades 116 a,b with the inter-blade flowpassage 130 defined therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment.As the process fluid flows along passageway 114 (FIGS. 1-4), theflowpath of the process fluid therein may be constrained by the blades116 a,b, thereby forcing the process fluid to flow through theinter-blade flow passage 130 and across blades 116 a,b. Thus, in theinter-blade flow passage 130, higher-density components of the processfluid will be driven to the concave side 126 of the blade 116 a, asshown by arrow 210, while lower-density components of the process fluidwill flow adjacent the convex side 128 of the second blade 116 b. Thehigher-density may thus coalesce on the concave side 126 of the blade116 a.

With continuing reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 illustrates the processfluid traveling through the passageway 114 from the entrance 115 towardthe exit 117, as shown by the arrow 208. As described above, at leastsome of the higher-density component of the process fluid coalesces onthe concave surface 126. Due to the continued rotation of the drum 102,the coalesced higher-density component is centrifuged outward, as shownby arrow 212. Additional amounts of the higher-density component mayalso be centrifuged directly out of the process fluid stream via therotation of the drum 102, without necessitating engagement with theblades 116. The separated higher-density component is thus directed tothe outer wall 110 for collection.

The blades 116 may be dimensioned or otherwise angled such thatsubstantially all of the higher-density component coalesced thereonengages the outer wall 110 before reaching the exit 117. Thus, when theprocess fluid arrives at a point adjacent the rear surface 106 of thedrum 102, substantially all of the higher-density component in theprocess fluid may engage the outer wall 110 and substantially all of thelower-density component may remain in passageway 114 between the outerwall 110 and the inner wall 112. However, in various exemplaryembodiments, the lower-density component may engage the inner wall 112as well. The lower-density component of the process fluid may movethrough the exit 117 defined by the rotary separator 100 to the outlet205, while the higher-density component of the process fluid may bedirected into the collection chamber 206 (FIG. 4), and ultimately to adrain (not shown) connected to the housing 200 (FIG. 4).

FIG. 7 illustrates another rotary separator 400, according to anexemplary embodiment, shown with a portion of the outer surface 107broken away to reveal the passageway 114. The rotary separator 400 maybe substantially similar to the rotary separator 100, shown in anddescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-6, and may be best understoodwith reference thereto. However, the rotary separator 400 includes aplurality of blades 402 arranged in a plurality of blade rows 403 a, 403b, 403 c and 403 d in the drum 102. In an exemplary embodiment, atrailing section 412 of each blade 402 of rows 403 a-c is proximal aleading section 410 of a blade 402 in a subsequent row 403 b-d, asshown. Moreover, each blade 402 may include a concave surface 401 and aconvex surface 405. Further, each blade 402 may be positioned in thepassageway 114 between the front surface 104 and the rear surface 106.Additionally, each of the blades 402 may be spaced-apart from each otherso as to form inter-blade flow passages 407 between adjacent blades 402.In an exemplary embodiment, each row of blades 403 a-d extends aroundthe circumference of the passageway 114; however, in various otherexemplary embodiments, one or more of the rows of blades 403 a-d maystop at a point, and/or the rows 403 a-d may be staggered around thedrum 402. Other orientations will be readily apparent in accordance withthis disclosure. Furthermore, adjacent rows 403 a-d may face in opposingcircumferential directions, as shown. For example, the concave surface405 of the blades 402 in the first row 403 a faces “down,” as shown fromthe side, corresponding to a clockwise circumferential direction, whilethe concave surface 405 of the blades 402 in the second row 403 b faces“up,” as shown from the side, corresponding to a counterclockwisecircumferential direction.

FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of each of the blade rows 403 a-d,according to an exemplary embodiment, with the rows 403 a-d arranged inalternating sequence and the inter-blade flow path 407 definedtherebetween. The rows 403 a-d are arranged such that a fluid flowingalong a convex surface 405 of a blade 402 in one row 403 a-d will bedirected to the concave surface 401 of a blade 402 in an adjacent row403 a-d, as shown by arrow 404. Likewise, a fluid flowing along aconcave surface 405 of a blade 402 in one row 403 a-d will be turned tothe convex surface 401 of a blade 402 in an adjacent row 403 a-d.Accordingly, a fluid flowing through the inter-blade flowpath 130 isturned toward a first circumferential direction while traversing thefirst row of blades 403 a, and is turned toward an opposing secondcircumferential direction while traversing the second row of blades 403b. This alternating turning provides a blade-to-blade acceleration andthus a resulting blade-to-blade centrifugal force. The blade-to-bladecentrifugal force drives the higher-density components of the processfluid in the direction illustrated by arrows 406 against thehigh-pressure surface, i.e., the concave surface 401 of the blades 402.

In one or more embodiments, each row 403 a-d may turn the flowpath 404about 60 degrees (e.g., +/− about 30 degrees relative to axis 118 shownin FIGS. 2-4). By alternating the flowpath direction, separation ofcomponents within a process fluid may be further enhanced with respectto a single blade row embodiment, by forcing the higher-densitycomponents to the concave surface 401 bounding the inter-blade flow path407. In at least one exemplary embodiment, adjacent blade rows 403 a-dmay be staggered circumferentially around the drum 102 (FIG. 7) in orderto maximize the amount of process fluid that travels to the concavesurface 401 with each turning of the process fluid.

FIG. 9, with additional reference to FIGS. 1-8, illustrates a method 500for separating a higher-density component (e.g., liquid) from alower-density component (e.g., gas) in a mixed process fluid, accordingto an exemplary embodiment. Such method 500 may be employed upstreamfrom additional fluid processing equipment such as compressors,turbines, or the like. The method 500 may begin at 502, where a rotaryseparator drum 102 is provided for receiving the mixed process fluid.The method 500 may then proceed to 504, where the mixed process fluid ismoved through a passageway 114 defined in the drum 102. As describedabove with reference to FIG. 4, for example, the mixed process fluid maybe introduced into the drum 102 so as to move generally axially throughthe passageway 114. At least a portion of the mixed process fluid maycontinue flowing axially along the length of passageway 114 and passthrough exit 117.

The method 500 may proceed to 506, where, as the mixed process fluidmoves through the passageway 114, for example, the drum 102 is rotatedto induce radial centrifugal separation of the mixed process fluid intoat least a higher-density component and a lower-density component. Thehigher-density component has a greater density than the lower-densitycomponent, thus the inertial forces on the higher-density will begreater than those on the lower-density component, resulting inseparation of the higher-density component from the lower-densitycomponent.

The method may then proceed to 508, in which the mixed process fluidflowing along passageway 114 encounters blades 116 (FIGS. 1-5) and/or402 (FIGS. 7 and 8) disposed therein. The process fluid may then beforced to flow in the inter-blade flow path 130 and/or 407 definedbetween adjacent blades 116 a, b (FIG. 5) or 402 so as to induce acentrifugal separation of the higher-density and lower-densitycomponents of the mixed process fluid. The higher-density component maybe guided to the concave surfaces 126 of the blades 116, where thehigher-density component coalesces into a film thereon. The continuedapplication of centrifugal forces by rotation of the drum 102 on thecoalesced higher-density component causes it to flow outward along theblade 116 to the outer wall 110.

The higher-density component, coalesced and flowing along the concavesurfaces 126 of the blades 116, may then be directed to the outer wall110 of the drum 102 and into a collection chamber 206. The collectionchamber 206 may be disposed adjacent to the drum 102, specifically theouter wall 110, and positioned radially outside thereof; further, thecollection chamber 206 may be configured to receive the separatedhigher-density component of the mixed process fluid. Meanwhile, thelower-density component may continue past collection chamber 206 (FIG.4) in a generally axial flow direction to the outlet 205, as at 510.

While the process fluid has been described as including at least oneliquid and at least one gas, and the rotary separator drum has beendescribed as being operable to separate the at least one liquid from theat least one gas, one of skill in the art will recognize that theprocess fluid may include two fluid components having differentdensities and that the rotary separator drum may be used to separatethose two fluid components without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Example

The foregoing discussion can be further described with reference to thefollowing non-limiting example.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate experimental result data from an experimentalembodiment of the rotary separator system 150 described above. The testconditions were as follows: rotational speed of the rotary separator wasset at about 10,000 rpm, the pressure at about 150 pisa, and thetemperature at about 100° F. The process fluid consisted of acombination of nitrogen gas and EXXSOL® D60 liquid.

FIG. 10 illustrates a performance comparison between a conventionalrotary separator and an embodiment of the rotary separator system 150.Specifically, FIG. 11 shows a graph of relative separation efficiency asa function of a separation parameter. Separation efficiency is generallydefined as the ratio of the amount of liquid separated by the rotaryseparator to the total amount of liquid entering the rotary separator.The graph shows the relative separation efficiency, illustrating theseparation efficiency of the tracked results in comparison to atraditional separator system. The separator parameter is generallydefined to be the measure of how difficult the separation environmentis, that is, how difficult it is to separate the lower-densitycomponents from the higher-density components, e.g., the gas from theliquid in the process fluid. The higher the separation parameter, themore difficult it becomes to separate the process fluid. Further, theseparation parameter is generally a function of pressure, temperature,and fluid composition, as well as the rotation speed and characteristicdiameter of the rotary separator.

Line 602 tracks the relative separation efficiency of the conventionalseparator, while line 606 tracks the relative separation efficiency ofthe rotary separator system 150. As the separation parameter increases,lines 602 and 606 diverge. Thus, the conventional rotary separator dropsin efficiency relative to the traditional separator as separationconditions become more difficult. In contrast, the rotary separatorsystem 150 maintains increased separation efficiency, even at the higherseparation parameter, indicating that the rotary separator system 150described above substantially outperforms the conventional separatorsystem, even in difficult separation environments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a performance comparison between a compressionsystem using a conventional separator and one using an embodiment of therotary separator system 150. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates relativecompressor efficiency as a function of the ratio of the volumetric flowrate of process fluid to the rotation speed of the rotary separator(Q/N). Compressor efficiency is generally defined to mean the amount ofwork that is transferred to the process fluid by compressor versus theamount of energy consumed by the compression system. Further, thecompressor efficiency is shown as relative compressor efficiency,illustrating the advantage of the tracked system over traditionalcompressor/separator systems. Line 610 tracks the compressor using theconventional rotary separator, while line 608 tracks the compressorusing the rotary separator system 150. As will be appreciated, for bothlines 608 and 610, as Q/N is increased, relative compressor efficiencydecreases. However, at all points, line 608 is above line 610,illustrating that the rotary separator system 150 enables a higherefficiency for the compressor regardless of the Q/N ratio. Further, asthe Q/N increases, the relative efficiency of both systems may increaseto a maximum value, before falling off. As can be appreciated from thegraph, line 610 shows the relative efficiency of the compression systememploying the conventional rotary separator dropping more quickly thanthe relative efficiency of the compression system employing the rotaryseparator system 150, as shown by line 608. Thus, the rotary separatorsystem 150 outperforms the conventional separator, with differencesbeing increased as the Q/N ratio increases.

The foregoing has outlined features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the present disclosure. Thoseskilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use thepresent disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processesand structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving thesame advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled inthe art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and thatthey may make various changes, substitutions and alterations hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A separator apparatus, comprising: a rotatabledrum including an inner wall and an outer wall disposed around the innerwall and radially offset therefrom to define an annular passagewaytherebetween, the annular passageway extending axially from an inlet ata front surface of the rotatable drum to an outlet at a rear surface ofthe rotatable drum, the rotatable drum being configured to separate ahigher-density component of a fluid from a lower-density component ofthe fluid such that the higher-density component and the lower-densitycomponent of the fluid flow through the outlet of the rotatable drum; aplurality of blades coupled to the rotatable drum, located in theannular passageway, and being configured to rotate with the rotatabledrum, each of the plurality of blades including a leading section, atrailing section, a concave surface, and a convex surface, the concaveand convex surfaces extending from the leading section to the trailingsection, each of the plurality of blades extending from the inner wallto the outer wall and being disposed circumferentially adjacent to atleast another one of the plurality of blades so as to define bladeflowpaths therebetween; and a housing at least partially surrounding therotatable drum and defining a fluid collection chamber fluidlycommunicating with the annular passageway via the outlet of therotatable drum.
 2. The separator apparatus of claim 1, wherein each ofthe blade flowpaths is at least partially defined by the convex surfaceof at least one of the plurality of blades and the concave surface of atleast another one of the plurality of blades.
 3. The separator apparatusof claim 1, wherein the rotatable drum is frustoconically-shaped.
 4. Theseparator apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of bladesleans at an angle of from about 8 degrees to about 22 degrees relativeto a radius of the rotatable drum.
 5. The separator apparatus of claim1, wherein each of the plurality of blades extends at least about 60% ofan axial length of the rotatable drum.
 6. The separator apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein the trailing section of each of the plurality of bladesextends a length that is at least about twice as long as a length of theleading section.
 7. The separator apparatus of claim 5, wherein thetrailing section is oriented at an angle of from about 90 degrees toabout 150 degrees with respect to the leading section.
 8. The separatorapparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of blades comprises firstand second rows of blades, the first and second rows disposed axiallyadjacently to one another.
 9. The separator apparatus of claim 8,wherein the concave surface of each of the plurality of blades in thefirst row faces a first circumferential direction and the concavesurface of each of the plurality of blades in the second row of bladesfaces a second circumferential direction, the first and secondcircumferential directions being substantially opposing.
 10. Theseparator apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first row of blades turns aprocess fluid to about a 30 degree angle in the first circumferentialdirection with respect to an axial direction, and the second row ofblades turns the process fluid to about a 30 degree angle in the secondcircumferential direction with respect to the axial direction.
 11. Anapparatus for separating a higher-density component from a lower-densitycomponent of a process fluid, comprising: a housing defining a fluidcollection chamber, a housing inlet, and a housing outlet; a drumincluding an inner wall and an outer wall radially offset from oneanother and defining a passageway therebetween, the passageway extendingan axial length from an inlet at a front surface of the drum to anoutlet at a rear surface of the drum, the passageway fluidlycommunicating with the housing inlet via the inlet of the drum andfluidly communicating with the fluid collection chamber via the outletof the drum; and a plurality of blades extending at least partiallybetween the inner and outer walls of the drum and disposed around thedrum and at least partially along the axial length of the passageway,each of the plurality of blades having a leading section, a trailingsection, a convex surface, and a concave surface, the convex and concavesurfaces extending from the leading section to the trailing section. 12.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of blades comprisesfirst and second blades, the first and second blades beingcircumferentially offset from each other to define a blade flowpaththerebetween, the blade flowpath being at least partially definedbetween the convex surface of the first blade and the concave surface ofthe second blade.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in each of theplurality of blades, the trailing section extends a length that is atleast about twice as long as a length of the leading section, and thetrailing section is oriented is oriented at an angle of from about 110degrees to about 130 degrees with respect to the leading section. 14.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of bladesextends along at least 80% of the axial length of the passageway. 15.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of blades comprisesfirst and second rows of blades, the leading section of each of theplurality of blades of the first row of blades being proximal the inletof the drum, the leading section of each of the plurality of blades ofthe second row of blades being proximal the trailing section of at leastone of the plurality of blades of the first row of blades, the first andsecond rows of blades being circumferentially staggered to define aninter-blade flowpath, the plurality of blades of the first row of bladesturning a process fluid about 30 degrees in a first circumferentialdirection and the plurality of blades of the second row of bladesturning the process fluid about 30 degrees in an oppositecircumferential direction.